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Ga. Picks New Execution Drug
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Georgia will change one of the drugs it uses to execute prisoners after federal regulators seized its stockpile of a sedative used in the three-drug combination for lethal injections.
Georgia Department of Corrections general counsel Robert Jones said Friday the department will use pentobarbital instead of sodium thiopental, which is in scarce supply nationwide.
Jones said the department is confident the new drug will be effective.
Georgia surrendered its supply of sodium thiopental to the Drug Enforcement Administration in March amid questions about whether the state circumvented the law to obtain its supply.
The switch clears the way for Georgia to execute Troy Davis, who was sentenced to die for the 1989 slaying of a Savannah police officer.
Tags: lethal injection, Department of Corrections, sodium thiopental shortage, Georgia execution, pentobarbital